Tender Hearts and Steel Souls
by Shadsie
Summary: Link didn't know how to make Fi understand human emotions. The swordsman and his sword have a conversation about Peatrice, Zelda and Scrapper, love and life, and the complications of their quest.


**TENDER HEARTS AND STEEL SOULS**

**A Skyward Sword Fan Fiction by Shadsie**

Link lay in the cool grass, his head propped up against a tree. He'd come back home to Skyloft to pick up supplies and check up on his friends. He valued these times of rest, though he knew he could not stay long. Thoughts of the Imprisoned breaking free again or of Zelda in need of him always intruded on his mind whenever he began to drift off for a nap. It was easy to get sleepy anywhere he rested simply because the only true sleep he got anymore was born of exhaustion. Somehow, he stayed awake here in the grass.

He watched the sky – the drifting clouds and the stray Loftwings. He caught sight of a red dot in the distance. He could tell even from afar that his bird was in a good mood. Link had never named his mount. Some people named their Loftwings, but it was unnecessary. The bonds between birds and riders were deeper than names. To name one's bird was like naming a body part. The whistle-call was the closest most people had in regards to naming their feathered guardians. Names were such a human thing.

Link groaned as he heard the tell-tale sound Fi made when she exited his sword.

"Master, now that your preparations are complete, I suggest we make haste to Lanayru Desert."

"Not now, Fi," Link griped. "Can't you see I need to rest?"

"It may be wise to get your Heart Medal out of Item Check to protect you in the trails ahead."

"I don't want to go back to Item Check, Fi. I feel…awkward."

"I suggest you not tell Zelda about your budding pairbond with the girl there."

"Urk!" Link gagged and sat up quickly. "Pairbond? No, Fi… it's not like that!"

"Isn't it, Master? I detect a spring in your step and a lightening of your mood when you approach her."

"Peatrice… No, Fi… I'm trying to be nice."

"She believes you are pairbonded to her."

"I know. When I visited her the other night at her home… I just couldn't bring myself to just dump her… She's been so happy lately, Fi! And she wouldn't even listen to me! I was trying to let her down gently, trying to be nice… I couldn't just be blunt with her, rude… She misinterpreted everything I said!"

"You do not wish to mate with her…"

Link nearly choked. "No!"

"Your body betrays you, Master. When you are in close proximity to Peatrice, I detect an increase in your heart-rate and changes in your body chemistry consistent with the desire to procreate."

Link sat up fully and sighed. "Fi… sometimes… how do I explain such a human thing to you? Men… can't always help how their bodies react. Peatrice is a pretty girl and I do like her, but Fi, I'm in love with Zelda. I wouldn't betray her."

"Your system shows similar changes during the times you have been in proximity to Zelda, in stronger measure. I suggest that you still refrain from telling Zelda about Peatrice if you wish to pursue a pairbond relationship with Zelda."

"Point taken. Say, while we're down in the desert, do you think Scrapper might be willing to bring up that wheel-thing I discovered there? Before I set back to the main mission, I mean. I think it's the same as what that guy on FunFun Island is looking for."

"That would be helpful to that man, Master Link, and you may receive a fair reward for it."

"It's a good thing Scrapper is in love with you or I'd be outta luck on these little fetching missions."

"In love with me, Master? I do not understand."

"Fi… I know that you're a sword-spirit, but even with your heart of steel you've got to see it. Scrapper loves you."

"The unit LD-301S Scrapper is apparently highly interested in my approval. However, it is a machine and not prone to the same hormonal and chemical reactions that biological organisms have. Even if it were, it would be incapable of reproduction and has no such system. When humans use the term 'in love' it denotes a pairbond relating to the reproductive systems, whether procreation is favored or not."

Link shook his head. "Love is more than just lust, Fi. It is a bond of the spirit – at least that is what I believe."

"That sounds a little illogical, Master."

"This coming from a bonafide spirit. The Goddess did not make you tender…"

"Master, I am a sword, after all. Hardness is favored for steel. It is my designation to destroy evil beings. It is not wise for one covered in blood on a regular basis to have much in the way of organic emotion."

Link smiled up at her. "It is also your designation to be a protector. That's how I've always thought of swords – as means to protect the innocent. I think you could love, if you tried."

"I am essentially a mechanical lifeform."

"So is Scrapper, but I think the Ancient Robots had some emotion in their programming. They certainly act as though they do. I wonder if it was intended by their creators or if it is just a side-effect…"

"I believe their function as servants of organic beings necessitated at least a simulation of emotion. It is very difficult, if not impossible, for you humans to interact without at least a simulation of emotion. Even I have been created to sense and react to the chemistry and impulses in your brain and body. I am not sure I understand human emotions, but I can create a facsimile of understanding for your benefit."

"Like I pretend to like Peatrice just to be nice… I think I may understand, except my reason for a ruse is that I don't like seeing her so depressed. Karene is right; sometimes I am too nice for my own good."

"Your reaction to the female Karene is on a lower level than your reaction to other females."

"I know that she likes Pipit. She and Pipit belong to one another. Besides, how am I supposed to get hot over a girl who's constantly talking about another guy? Peatrice at least tells me how great I am and that makes me feel special. That's probably why I have such 'chemistry' issues around her when I really know I'm missing Zelda."

"I suggest you find a way to tell Peatrice the truth, Master, otherwise I predict more emotional turmoil for your brain and body as well as for hers."

"I need to find a way to let her down gently. I haven't figured that out yet. I suggest you find a way to let Scrapper down gently sometime, unless you plan to be with him after the mission."

"I have no plans for myself after the completion of the mission."

"You don't? I mean… once we're done with this, I figured you'd be my sword and if you wanted to be with Scrapper, I'd let you two be together – a 'pairbond' if you will. I would be okay with it. I'd even leave you alone together and stop 'dragging you around' like he hates so much. Whatever you want. I want you to find happiness."

"Happiness… I know how you humans use the term, but I am not sure I am capable of understanding it the way you do."

"Maybe you will someday… when our quest is at an end, perhaps."

"Master, you should know that there is a 50% probability of you sacrificing yourself to complete the mission. There is also a 50% probability of my sacrificing myself to complete the mission. It is also quite possible that both of us will die to keep the ancient evil at bay and to preserve the stability of the timeline. I am unable to calculate the probability of the third outcome at this time."

Link rubbed his forehead and squinted his eyes for a moment. "I would give my life for Zelda, for Skyloft…. For all my friends. If I must die at the end of this, I am prepared for it."

"I sense fear in you, Master. My assessment has caused you distress."

"Of course it has. I'm young. I don't want to die. It's just, if need be for this quest, I'll face it, but I still want to stay alive as long as I can. I'm also distressed by… more by… you can die, Fi?"

"I was created as a servant-spirit. My consciousness can fade or enter a state of sleep. I have calculated a 50% probability that I may have to sacrifice my conscious self in order to preserve the order of the world if Ghirahim succeeds in calling up his master."

"We'll just have to keep that from happening, then."

"The sooner we get on our way, the greater the probability that we can prevent such an outcome."

"I'll deal with Peatrice later, then," Link said, standing up and putting on his gear. "Let's get going."

"You no longer wish to rest, Master?"

"I've rested, and you kind of ruined it. It's okay. Let's just say I just don't want to have to let Scrapper down."

* * *

><p>END.<p> 


End file.
